Hive Learning Networks

Hive Youth Meet-ups are 3-hour events that include a workshop facilitated by a Hive member organization, three youth presentations, and time for socializing, both amongst youth and organizational representatives. Below are reflections from two members of the planning team around the inspiration, design, and development of the event model. Juan Rubio is Associate Director of the Global Kids Online Leadership Program. Zac Rudge is Citywide Outreach and RecYouth Coordinator at the Parks and Recreation Computer Resource Center (CRC) program.

Juan’s Perspective

The Hive Youth Meet-up idea started with a conversation I had with Dixie Ching about youth pathways. She was interviewing me for her research on the topic and I told her that for me the Hive Learning Network represented an opportunity to learn from other professionals like me, form collaborations with others working on the same field and same goals. I mentioned to her that it would be great if we could create the same experience for young people. She liked the idea and encouraged me to develop it. She included me in a design charrette where some ideas were presented to Hive members and I explained the concept and intention behind the Hive Youth Meet-ups. At that design charrette, the idea of forming a meet-up for Hive Youth gained interest from other organizations and a working group was formed to develop the project.

I had seen some efforts to create youth groups at the Hive before, but I thought they were very adult-centered and sounded as if the kids had to make a big commitment to be part of them. My idea was to create a space where they would feel at the center of the event: an experience produced by them and where they could showcase their involvement in Hive programs. I was also interested in creating a space where young people could form bonds with each other and explore possible collaborations.

A key component of the Hive Youth Meet-up model was the design process that took place prior to its implementation. At the design charrette, I was able to form a group of Hive professionals who were interested in developing and implementing the idea. It was then that Erica Kermani from Eyebeam, Chris Amos from Carnegie Hall, Zac Rudge from CRC Parks and Rec, and Brian Cohen from Beam Center formed the core group to plan and design the first HYM, with assistance from Hive Research Lab. Thinking back to this point in time, I think the design charrette helped me recruit members from Hive organizations that were supportive of the idea of youth meet-ups; I also now had a group of people committed to providing input and helping me develop out the model. I was able to secure some funds through Mozilla and we started planning and implementing the meet-ups.

Another key component of the meet-ups was the assistance and guidance provided by Rafi Santo and Dixie Ching on the design and evaluation of the program. Their input was extremely helpful as we began to develop the program because we were being intentional about the goals we had in mind and the strategies we would implement to achieve those goals. You can read their excellent write up of their process here.

After meeting a few times and deciding on the model to use, we had our first meet-up at Beam Center in Brooklyn on a Sunday. We were expecting to have a good number of kids but the attendance was low. However, there were 3 youth presentations: one from a film program at the Brooklyn Public Library, one from Global Kids’s Playing for Keeps, a game design citywide program, and one from Eyebeam’s Playable Fashion. I would say that having that first meet-up was also crucial for moving forward and having a better model in place. We met again to reflect on the first meet-up and plan for the next one. Based on the observations from that first meet-up, we decided to have a workshop that was more interactive, and would be held on a weekday in order to increase attendance, and to have young people be the emcees.

Zac’s Perspective

Last summer I sat down at a table with a group of people that I had never met. Representing the Parks and Recreation Computer Resource Centers, I was at a design ‘charrette’ (the meaning of which I was also slightly unsure) to talk about youth trajectories, something that was familiar to me, having worked in the youth development space in a number of different time zones. I was also hoping to build relationships with organizations that could support the CRC to creatively meet the needs of young teens that we worked with. I remember Dixie Ching, who was leading the process, asking if I had brought a computer (no), and generously providing a machine for me to tap away on. I had attended a few Hive meet-ups, and was starting to recognize some familiar faces, but this was my first time getting down to the nitty gritty—actually talking and working through new ideas with people.

As the workshop got going, I remember Juan Rubio introducing the idea of a Hive for teens. Though I was still working out what the Hive for adults was all about, a teen version seemed like a very simple, clear, good idea. Thinking about the needs of teens that the CRC works with, and coming from many years working for a youth-led organization, I was immediately struck by the value of having greater opportunities for Hive-affiliated teens to get together, share and test ideas, learn new things, and to begin the process of developing pathways into the Hive itself through leadership roles in the ‘youth version’ of the Hive. That day it seemed like we had planned it all out (we hadn’t), but from there Juan, with the support of Mozilla and the Hive organizations who participated in the discussion that day, managed to secure just enough funding and organizational social capital to test the idea out.

By organizational social capital I mean the people and organizations who agreed to jump in, without any significant financial input, to road-test the idea: Erica Kermani at Eyebeam, Chris Amos at Carnegie Hall, Brian Cohen at Beam Center, Juan Rubio at Global Kids, and Dixie Ching and Rafi Santo from the Hive Research Lab (HRL). Rafi and Dixie deserve a special mention here—their support has been invaluable, particularly in relation to outcome measurement, but also simply by virtue of their energy and support for the project—shout out to Rafi and Dixie!

We officially started the planning process in September, with the idea of holding three events to test out the model and we are now two Hive Youth Meet-ups in (we found a name, though it may change!), and the momentum is building. Generally speaking, our goals were to help teens build relationships, pick up new skills, and learn about resources and opportunities in the Hive. In a way, we hope Hive educators will find HYMs to be a useful mechanism to get the word out about programs.In the spirit of prototyping and iteration (more new terms I was to become comfortable with through this process), we have designed a strong model that aims to, in simple terms, be a version of the Hive for teens. However, as well as achieving what we set out to achieve, there were a few unexpected outcomes (good ones).

Our first HYM, in November at Beam Center, was a chance to test out the initial idea. There were a few bumps (we held it on a Sunday, which everyone after the fact agreed was a bad idea), and some of us completely missed on our commitment to get participants to the event (yes, that was me). However, the event supported our concept—the fundamentals were right; we just needed to tweak it a little. Participants were led through an introductory workshop using Python and Raspberry Pi, which gave a great view into the world of CPUs and code. We had some great presentations from teens, and strong question and answer sessions.

Even though we all considered it a good start, a few tweaks were needed. We found ourselves stumbling over exactly how to explain what “The Hive” was, and aimed to find ways to streamline our messaging. We added in a goal, aiming to specifically target teens 14-19 who didn’t know anything about Hive, and we added a long term goal of creating a core group of HYM youth who would, over time and through experience, collaborate and form social ties with each other, and act as Hive Ambassadors as they supported the implementation of the HYM initiative. On this point, we aimed to bring in a stronger “youth voice” at the next meet-up, both in the planning and implementation of the HYM. Out of this reflection we also ended up identifying the key roles that could make a HYM a success. These included an adult and a youth emcee, a workshop facilitator (this could be co-facilitated by adults and teens initially, with teens stepping into the role as their experience progressed), educator/observers from partner organizations, a Hive brokering coordinator, an event manager, and youth documenters (i.e., photographers).

By the time the second HYM came around in late January we felt like we had a good plan in place, with all bases covered, but you really never know in these situations. However, from the moment that Radio Rookies kicked off the event with an excellent podcasting workshop, asking teens to talk to each other about their first crush, everything went perfectly. There was great teen engagement in the workshops and the presentations, with lots of conversations and back and forth between the teens who attended. The Kickflip Program, Brooklyn College Arts Lab, and young CRC filmmaker Tay Pugh gave excellent, well-received presentations. Though there is obviously room to improve, this second HYM was again a strong proof of concept, building effectively on the first event.

Outside of the programmatic value of the HYM, for me this has been a demonstration in practice of the value of Hive more broadly. Those people that I didn’t know when I sat down at the workshop last summer, I now consider my colleagues. As well as having observed how the Hive can add value to programming for teens across NYC, I have come to know what the Hive is myself, through the experience of participating, by doing. Maybe the Hive isn’t something you can explain in a sound bite? Just like learning to design a game, or making a video, maybe the Hive is an experience?

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After two successful implementations of the model, one at Beam Center and another at the Hamilton Fish Recreation Center, we are ready to have a third one at Global Kids. We have seen the idea realized and made changes along the way. From idea, to design, to implementation, we have been testing a model that is shaping up to be successful. We hope that creating a space for young people to come together and recognize the opportunities available to them in the rich environment that is the Hive Learning Network continues to develop and becomes an on going event.

I wasn’t new to the concept of the “Meetup”, as I am a member of dozens of them from Fashionistas in New York City to Single in New York City Meet-Ups! However, the concept of the Hive Youth Meet-up was a new concept for me; and when I began working at Global Kids, I was thrown into the mix of them. My boss gave his best explanation to me of the Hive NYC and of the Hive Youth Meet-Ups they organize, but it wasn’t until I experienced my first one did I fully understand what they were all about.

On a chilly morning on Sunday, November 9th of last year, I ventured out to the Beam Center in Brooklyn to attend my first Hive Youth Meetup. When I first walked into the Center, there were a sprinkle of youth present, but the majority present were adults. We sat around and munched on the cookies and chips provided waiting for the “kiddies”, as I like to call them, to show up. Since the Meetup started at 11:00am, I figured most of the youth were probably just rolling out of bed, and would be on their way as soon as they could … as I remember loving to sleep in on a Sunday morning as a young person.

We finally got a decent number of youth around noonish, and we started a very instructional heavy workshop on the Raspberry Pi, a credit card-sized single-board computer developed with the intention of promoting the teaching of basic computer science. The adults in the room were sprinkled around the tables where the youth were sitting to help the youth if need be; but, since there was only one true Raspberry Pi expert in the room, he had to float around to the tables when the coding and programming that he was teaching was not working. After the Raspberry Pi workshop ended, a number of youth who participated in different Hive membership organization programs gave presentations on the programs and on their creations.

At the end of the Hive Youth Meetup, I had some clarity of what the Mozilla Hive NYC Learning Network, better known as the Hive NYC, was about. Formally speaking, it is a city-wide laboratory where educators, technologists, and mentors design innovative, connected educational experiences for youth. Together, these institutions create an ecosystem of opportunities for young people to explore their interests and develop key 21st-century skills. The youth definitely had the potential to develop key 21st-century skills with learning how to code with the Raspberry Pi, and I was beginning to see this “ecosystem” of opportunities through the network of organizations. But, I needed more, and I wondered if the youth who participated also needed more.

My second Hive Youth Meetup experience gave me “the more” that I was looking for. This time, the Meetup took place on a Wednesday this January at 6:00pm. With the change in the day of the week and the later time, the kiddies were not asleep, and over 20 youth divulged upon the Hamilton Fish Park Recreation Center in the Lower East Side to participate in the Meetup. For this one, the youth learned basic journalism and reporting skills from Radio Rookies, a New York Public Radio initiative that provides teenagers with the tools and training to create radio stories about themselves, their communities, and their world.

In an interactive workshop, the youth were taught how to perform a street interview. Participants first saw a fun cartoon with voice overs from current participants in the Radio Rookies initiative, and then they were paired off to perform interviews with one another on the topic, “Your First Crush.” The room was abuzz with chatter and giggles as both the youth and adults in the room reminisced about their first crushes. I even strolled down memory lane when I was asked how my first crush made me feel.

It was great to see the youth participate in such an extremely fun and interactive workshop where they learned the valuable life-long skill of interviewing. Actually, in interacting together, we ALL learned valuable skills during the Radio Rookies workshop - which made it click for me that this is what the Hive and the Youth Meetup’s they organize are all about! Since things clicked for me, someone new to the Hive, during this Meetup, I am pretty sure it clicked for the Youth that participated. Changing the day from a Sunday to a Wednesday, the time from the morning to early evening, the workshop format from instruction heavy to interactive, and might I add, serving the kiddies pizza instead of cookies and chips, drastically improved the second Meetup from the first.

I came to know that New York City’s youth who participate in programs at any one of the Hive’s network organizations, such as Global Kids, indeed, have the opportunity to experience and explore an array of 21st-century skills. For instance, at Global Kids, youth gain game design skills, whereas at Radio Rookies, they gain journalism skills. But all-in-all, at Hive Youth Meetups, youth are able to explore all of the different opportunities that the Hive’s network organizations have to offer.

If YOU want to learn more about the amazing opportunities that Hive NYC offers, click here.

After three amazing years our time at MS 391, the Angelo Patri Middle school has come to an end. We wanted to celebrate with a look back to some of the highlights over the years including; the inception of NYC Haunts, creating anti-bullying comics, developing amazing games and most of all - having fun while learning. Check out the slideshow and celebrate our incredible students from the Bronx!

Global Kids has experimented with digital badging in various contexts for the past few years. From badging an afterschool program four years ago at the New York Public Library, to badging the Urban Biodiversity Network program at the American Museum of Natural History, Global Kids has used digital assessment to support youth to recognize, talk about, and demonstrate essential digital literacy skills. Currently, we are consulting with three schools as they develop badging systems for their students, developing our own badging system for all Global Kids youth programs, and supporting Hive NYC and Hive Chicago to build their digital badging systems and infrastructures.

Global Kids and the Hive Learning Network NYC have been busy designing a network-wide badge that can be used by all Hive NYC member organizations. We want to create a badge that motivates cross-network participation, demonstrates the key values and behaviors within the network, builds digital media skills, and increases meaningful participation at Hive NYC events.

For the past few months we've tackled some big design questions, developed user stories, and identified a list of challenge activities that youth can complete to earn the Hive NYC Badge (which has yet to have a fun name). You can view our badge design trajectory here:

On October 24, Daria and Joliz presented a HASTAC Webinar for their badge community and Digital Media and Learning Competition on Badges for Lifelong Learning winners. Through funding from the MacArthur Foundation, Global Kids is developing networked badging systems for the Hive Learning Networks in NYC and Chicago, which you can follow here.

Brianna explained what geocaching was and their process of coming up with difference electorial issues to highlight within the game. She also encouraged the Grantmakers to experience a mini-scavenger hunt during the reception and gave sticker prizes to those who completed the task.

In the summer of 2012, Global Kids, Inc. launched a beta test of its planned digital badging system. The test was designed to provide feedback on the system to support a Fall launch throughout the entire organization. This Global Kids’ Badging System is built on top of Learning Times’ BadgeStack, and is part of a broader badging network within the Hive NYC Learning Network (funded by the MacArthur Foundation).

What we learned, in summary, was that the badges played a positive role in the development of our summer programs, engaged the youth, and offered them different learning pathways. It provided them with valuable opportunities to name, reflect upon, value, and share what they learned in the program; offered us unusually rich examples of their perceived learning; created a new and useful assessment relationship between us; and collected measurable data about their learning outcomes.

The testing was not long enough to demonstrate if it was an effective social networking space, if it effectively utilized games-based learning design, or supported the democratization of learning. It was also not an ideal setting to explore if the badges promote a DML praxis.

Christian Greer, Program Director for HIVE Chicago recently wrote a great summary of the work that has been done with the Chicago badging system. Check it out below!

Wow! It's been a very busy summer for our Hive Chicago member organizations. We have facilitated jams, game design workshops, citizen science projects, teen-led community events, youth council programs, and many other engaging activities with our teens. With the Labor Day holiday weekend fast approaching and our summer programs completed, I thought that I would check in this week with few member organizations to see how things went over the summer.

Race to the White House is a Global Kids summer program where youth will develop a digital scavenger hunt with gps-enabled devices (geocaching) to create a public activity about the upcoming presidential election and its impact on issues of importance to our community and our country. The program will be used a one of the early beta sites for the Global Kids and the Hive NYC Learning Network badging systems.

About Global Kids

Global Kids, Inc. - the premier non-profit educational organization for global learning and youth development - works to ensure that urban youth have the knowledge, skills, experiences and values they need to succeed in school, participate effectively in the democratic process, and achieve leadership in their communities and on the global stage.

About OLP

The Global Kids Online Leadership Program (OLP) integrates a youth development approach and international and public policy issues into youth media programs that build digital literacy, foster substantive online dialogues, develop resources for educators, and promote civic participation.